My wife and I made a return visit to the brew pub in late May. We were seated immediately in a nice, shady spot in their outdoor patio area. The waitress quickly came and took our drink orders and gave us plenty of time to peruse the menu before ordering.

Food and beer were both great and tasty. My wife got a huge salad (a half-portion would have been better since we couldn't take left overs with us) and I opted for their chicken wings and a Cajun sausage and pasta special, again with very generous portions.

The beer selection was large and extensive as far as styles go. I tried their green chili beer and brown ale, both refreshing and quite tasty.

This is a pretty large and bustling place. We waited about 20 minutes to get a table at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, so I would say they have lots of fans. We had some beers which made the short wait seem shorter.

They have a really nice terrace that seems to be a big draw. There is a large dining room and nice bar room. The bar is a square in the middle of the room with service stations on each end. There are TV’s , so you can keep up with the games.

Service at the bar and table side was very friendly and prompt. Both servers were able to provide some beer insight.

Food was tasty and I thought pretty reasonable priced. They have some specials which are worth checking out. They offer really good homemade “blue” coleslaw. Get it!

Unfortunately the beer was not a huge hit with our party. We started with the Ed’s IPA. It was either old or the lines needed tending. The hops were pretty much MIA and there was a vegetable thing going on that was way out of place. The stout was better and we thought the best beer of the evening was the pepper ale which had a nice pepper aroma but was not overly hot.

I had trouble finding the entrance. I didn't know there was a parking lot just past the lush, green bier-garden fence full with vines. The entrance is kind of hidden with a lot of rain lately causing a lot of growth of the greens on the fence. I almost went into the employee entrance on the front of the building facing the parking meters where I parked on 5th street, just off of the main drag, Stadium Blvd.

The place was busy. I heard from a family member that they were always busy which is why I showed up late afternoon Sunday. Granted it was Memorial Day Weekend. I ordered Edy's IPA and some wings. I ordered the Edy's as it was one of the best and most rated IPA. I was surprised to see their glasses were imperial nonics that pour 18oz with a good head. IPA was stale and lacking in hop character, although I did notice after looking at the board that all their styles were British. The hop character was small even for a British ale. The wings came fairly fast, within 10 minutes. They were ok, not very spicy like hot wings usually are. There was a BBQ flavor that took over, but it was like Cookies BBQ sauce, nothing great. They looked dry and they were, but they were fresh and hot.

The service was good, the woman who helped me was very attentive. The first thing that grabbed my attention was the clinking of the glasses against the tap nozzle and the sloppy pooring. The head never reached too high, so I guess they felt they could be lax in pooring. It was confirmed when both of my beers had little head. If it were to style this would be acceptable head in parts of southern England.

They also stacked glasses, I could see they had the bars being bussed by some college age students who were also taking the glassware and stacking it roughly, which was apparent when I got my second beer which was a nitro stout that has very small bubbles that show all the nucleation points around the bulge of the nonic affecting the appearance of the beer. I'm guessing the stacking comes from always being busy. They have a large bier-garden and a lot of seats inside, so they can hold a lot of people. They even have a nice complete circle bar that's raised up.

The wait is apparent as people with a party were waiting and my family member said they liked the food, but they are always busy was a complaint. That did ring true in my experience there.

This place is hopping, even on a day with tropical storm type of humidity! Due to nearly every spot being taken, my date and I ended up sharing a chair at the bar, which I did not complain about! The patio seating has beautiful plants and vines creating a private getaway, inside has that classic brewery warehouse look, with just a little more shine and newness.

The staff clearly enjoy working here and their attitude rubs off on the customers, the general vibe is cheerful and lively. It is obvious that the bartenders and servers are proud of their exceptional quality and specialty items.

We shared several samplers, the Oil Change Oatmeal Stout and the Green Chili Beer especially stood out to me. I was wary of the Green Chili variety at first, but it was quite remarkable and unusual. Their Brown Ale was sweet and delicious...hell, everything we tried was good!

The food was fantastic! The green chili chicken fingers made from the green chili beer batter will forever be praised and lauded as one of this earth's greatest culinary creations.

I had been here once before and thought it was a gem. Sat outside on a wonderful cool and breezy Fall Sunday. The place was crowded and busy but still everything flowed perfectly.

The patio area is nice and cozy with tons of vegetation covering the are and giving it a private feel.

I tried their IPA and got a growler of their APA. Their IPA is nice and citrusy with some fresh grassy hops to it. This place has a great feel, great service, great food and the beers are well crafted.

I guess you couldn't ask for much more in a small town like Columbia. But coming from Chicago this place severely lacked. It was really crowded when I went, and it was on a wednesday evening at like 6pm. Strange. I hung out at the bar while I waited and tried the chilli beer. Not my cup of tea whatsoever. Selection wasn't too bad, I've seen much much worse. All the tap beers are listed on a chalkboard near the bar. I also tried the Irish Red. Not bad.

Food was very 'meh' for me. Not only am I becoming a beer snob, I've long been a food snob. This place was a basic college joint: burgers, wings, etc. None of the options were exceptional. But considering the location, this was pretty good.

Not a bad experience away from home, but it just felt way to 'collegey' for me. But for a small town like this, it's a good option. Check it out if in the area, but I wouldn't make a special trek.

Flat Branch is sort of a staple for anyone that lives in Columbia or in the surrounding areas. The restaurant is ALWAYS packed even though it has a large indoor and outdoor space (probably the nicest patio in town), which suggests that they do very good business! We go to Flatbranch every couple of months (even with a 1 year old). The food is average, but what I like about it is that they don't charge you an arm and a leg and you get large portions. The beer is average at best, some selections are better than others, but nothing that a beer geek would be overwhelmed by. I typically order the Green Chili Beer when I 'm, but it's not a great beer...just one I've enjoyed time to time. Their Oil Change stout won a silver medal this past year at GABF.

Have been to Flat Branch several times since coming to Columbia. The food has been up and down but is generally average bar food with a few stand outs here and there. This place stays packed for lunch and dinner, so plan ahead if you are going, especially if there are any major functions going on in town. They do several house beers and have a wide variety on tap. Most beers are average to not so good, but I am not a huge fan of english yeasts and they tend to use the same english yeast strain in all their beers. As such, their better beers tend to be english styles.

I stopped in for a late lunch on a Friday during a trip from Kansas City to St. Louis. The atmosphere is great. They have a dining area that is separate from the bar and would be great for a business lunch, as well as a large open bar. My visit was during the summer when school was not in session, but I can only imagine that this is the place to go on a football Saturday to watch the game on one of their large flat screen TVs. The place itself is a well renovated old warehouse that overlooks a park. It also features a spacious beer garden that I'm sure is a local favorite during the summer.

As far as the beer is concerned, I had the $6 sampler and bought a growler of the Rye Porter to take with me. I found all of the beers to be average. There was nothing offensive or spectacular about any of them really, with the exception of the Rye Porter which was delicious.

I had great service, but the place wasn't very busy. The staff was courteous and helpful, but did not seem to know an awful lot about their beers, just the talking points they had been given.

The selection was great compared to my expectations. They had all their regular beers and several seasonals, about 10 total. They had everything you would expect; a wheat, a pale, an IPA, a brown, and a stout as well as an unexpected Chili beer, and as I mentioned earlier several seasonals to keep things interesting.

As far as the food is concerned, I may not be the best judge. I was there for a late lunch and had been planning on eating at a brewery all day so my heart was set on a bacon cheeseburger and fries. It was delicious, and exactly what I wanted.

The prices were on par with my expectations as well. Being in Columbia, they can't charge as much as they could if they were in a bigger city. The prices were reasonable, and in line with what they provided.

Overall, I enjoyed my visit to Flat Branch Pub and Brewery very much, and would recommend it to anyone traveling from Kansas City to St. Louis as a great way to break up what is otherwise a rather boring stretch of road.